A conventional electrical service comprises a power cable from the electrical provider to the electrical user with the power cable entering into a main circuit breaker box. Typically, the circuit breaker box comprises a main circuit breaker and a plurality of branch circuit breakers for providing over current protection to the various branch circuits. The overload current threshold for each of the branch circuit breakers is selected to accommodate for multiple loads in each branch circuit.
Although the above conventional electrical service provides an efficient and safe system for providing electrical power to an electrical user, there is in need in the prior art to provide additional circuit protection and/or interruption capabilities for each of the multiple loads in each of the branch circuits. The following United States patents have suggested solutions for providing additional circuit protection and/or interruption capabilities or each of the multiple loads in each of the branch circuits.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,974,700 to Adams discloses a plug including mating body sections having registering recesses opening through the top of the plug. Prongs are clamped between the sections with a terminal clamped between the sections but free with respect thereto. A removable fuse is seated in the registering recesses and extending between the terminal and one of the prongs. An ejecting device independent of the fuse projects through one end of the plug for ejecting the fuse through the other end of the plug. Yieldable means return the ejecting device to normal position. Means connect the sections and clamping the prongs and the terminal therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,990,176 to Fried discloses fuse adapter comprising a body member formed of insulating material and a pair of fuse supports arranged within the body in insulated relation to each other collectively constituting a run-way to longitudinally slidably support a fuse. Means are provided by which electrical conductors may be connected with the fuse supports respectively. The body has a passage extending from exteriorly thereof to adjacent one end of the run-way through which a fuse may be moved along the run-way out of the body.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,644,056 to C. Curtis discloses a fused, polarized, electrical coupling comprising an insulated housing, a pair of through conductors insulated from each other therein with one terminating in a ground blade and the other in a hot line blade having a smaller cross section than the ground blade, and a removable cartridge fuse in the hot line.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,676,223 to W. Whitaker discloses an electric plug connector comprising a body of an insulating material having a pair of elongated parallel cavities within the same and communicating with slotted apertures opening through an end face thereof. One of the cavities has a greater depth than that of the other cavity. Resilient con-tact elements are housed within the cavities. The body also has a tubular bore extending laterally outward from the inner end of the one cavity and opening through a side face of the body. A resilient tongue extends from the contact element within the one cavity and having a free end disposed across the inner end of the bore. The bore is adapted to receive a fuse element therein with the inner end of the element disposed in contact with the tongue. The body has a counter-bore in the side face in concentric relation with respect to the first bore. A metallic sleeve is provided with a bayonet slot tight fitted within the counter-bore. A plug electrode projects laterally outward through the side face from the inner end of the contact element within the other cavity. A second plug electrode having a cylindrical enlargement at the inner end of the second electrode seated in the sleeve and against the outer end of the fuse element. A pin projects radially from the enlargement for engagement with the bayonet slot to effect the locking of the enlargement and the associated electrode in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,988,617 to M. Graziosi discloses a fused connector for an electrical appliance comprising a body member of insulating material having cutaway portions for fuse retention and a pair of fuse-aligned fuse ejection access holes substantially smaller than a fuse diameter. A pair of parallel contact blade means protrude from one end of the body member and fastened thereto. First fuse clip means on each of the blade means comprises a pair of jaws adapted for resilient engagement of only the circumference of one end of a generally cylindrical fuse body. A pair of contact blade socket means are adapted by reentrant curvature for resilient blade engagement and fastened to the body member in the cutaway portions for engaging blades inserted in an opposite end thereof. Second fuse clip means on each of the socket means are aligned with and spaced from the first fuse clip means a fuse length distance. Grounding blade socket means comprises a resilient clip in parallel alignment with the blade means and fastened to the body member. Grounding means and an open ended housing is slidable over the body member and the blade means having apertures of greater than fuse diameter aligned with the clip means and apertures for the blade means and the grounding means.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,218,413 to R. Koch discloses a fused connecting plug for insertion in one of the socket units of a multiple unit receptacle. A flat rectangular insulating housing has a pair of parallel main walls joined around the periphery by a short sidewall to define a thickness less than the spacing between the socket units of a receptacle. A pair of laterally spaced plug prongs are secured within the housing and projecting outwardly through the side wall. A pair of correspondingly laterally spaced prong receiving sockets are aligned with and spaced from the plug prongs, the housing having opening means aligned with the sockets for insertion of prongs into the sockets. A fuse is disposed to one side of an aligned prong and socket in the housing and connected thereto to complete the circuit. A thin lamp means is mounted in the housing between the parallel main walls and spanning the aligned prong and socket connected to the fuse and thereby being connected in parallel with the fuse and illuminated upon disruption of the fuse, the housing a viewing opening for detection of the illumination.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,539,961 to Worthington discloses a device for isolating an electrical appliance operating at the current and voltage levels normally used with household appliances from an electric current in excess of a predetermined value. A housing supports a plurality of prong means adapted to be inserted into a grounded electrical receptacle and a female receptacle adapted to be electrically connected to an appliance. A plurality of electrode means are connected to each the prong means and extending inwardly of the housing. Fusible means is connected between at least two of the electrode means and the female receptacle. The fusible means is adapted to electrically disconnect the two electrode means and the female receptacle when the fusible means are caused to carry an electric current in excess of a predetermined value. Hollow means define an air chamber surrounding the electrode means. The hollow means is supported by portion of the housing means and is closed at one end by the portion of the housing and open at the end adjacent the ends of the electrode means remote from the prong means. The connection between the fusible means and the electrode means is within the air chamber. Arc means is disposed in the housing adjacent to the ends of the two electrode means remote from the prong means and spaced therefrom to define a spark gap. The arc means is electrically connected to another of the prong means so that when the two electrode means and the receptacle are electrically disconnected, current in the two prong means is conducted to the other prong means by way of the spark gap and the arc means.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,914 to P. Banner discloses an electrical safety grounding devices of the type for single-phase two and three wire systems. The electrical safety grounding device features improved electrical grounding capability for plugs, connectors, receptacles and adapters having improved fuse protection and signal response indicating means protecting life and equipment in the daily use of electricity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,374 to D. Chaucer discloses a string of Christmas lights including a plug adapted to receive an electrical fuse within a lower insertion opening in the plug-face from which the male prong elements extend from the plug such that when the plug is withdrawn from a socket a fuse may be inserted or withdrawn. The insertion opening for the electrical fuse is continuous with a fuse-holding channel having a small opening too small for insertion or withdrawal of the fuse. An object may be inserted through the small opening to press-against a fuse within the channel in order to push the fuse out-of the lower insertion opening while maintaining the plug in an assembled state.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,184 to W. Call discloses an electrical plug housing having a base part and a fuse part. Both parts fit together and secure electrical contact members that provide male and female plug connections. One of the members comprises two sections each of which is in engagement with a fuse connector. The housing fuse part includes transverse openings that extend from a compartment in the housing face. One end of the fuse connector extends through the transverse opening and engages one of the contact member sections. The opposing end provides a clamp for one end of a fuse.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,473 to A. Nickola discloses a fused protection device to be installed between a conventional male and a conventional female electrical plug and adapted to receive a fuse to thereby isolate and protect an appliance or the like from overloading a circuit. U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,173 to C-L. Mai discloses a safety plug including an insulative base frame mounted within an insulative housing to hold a positive contact metal blade and a negative contact metal blade. A tubular fuse is connected between the hot wire of an electric cord and the positive contact metal blade to automatically cut off the circuit upon an electric overload. U.S. Pat. No. 6,753,755 to W. Montague discloses an electrical safety connector fuse for insertion into a two- or three-pin electrical socket comprises a sealed, tamper-proof housing having live and neutral apertures, and live and neutral receptacles for receiving the prongs of a plug, live and neutral prongs for insertion into the socket, and a fuse disposed within the housing. The connector fuse desirably has an internal light which lights up when the fuse is connected to a live socket, a blocking member or gate to prevent a user from receiving an electric shock by inserting objects into the live aperture of the fuse, and an insulting coating on at least a part of the live prong to prevent electric shocks as the fuse is inserted into a socket.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical adapter for providing protection between a conventional electrical receptacle and an external electrical plug.
Another object of this invention is to provide an electrical adapter for providing electrical current overload protection between a conventional electrical receptacle and an external electrical plug.
Another object of this invention is to provide an electrical adapter for providing temperature protection between a conventional electrical receptacle and an external electrical plug.
Another object of this invention is to provide an electrical adapter that is disposable upon an electrical current overload and/or a temperature overheating of the electrical adapter.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by modifying the invention within the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention, the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.